On a Mission...

to earn enough money for a France mission trip is all Wesley has on the brain these days.

Last year Chuck went on a mission trip to France. It was life changing for him. He so much wanted to share that with our oldest two boys and I. They were gung ho about the trip until recently. We told them we might only be able to send Chuck. To say the least-- they were disappointed, but haven't wallowed in it.

Fast forward a few months...

My mom said "Wesley enjoys making money, and he needs something to keep him busy why doesn't he start a home based business?" She got the idea from a friend whose son nagged her about earning money. She helped him with an Avon business, for years. He sold to neighbors, church friends, family, schoolmates, and teachers.

Earlier this week Wesley said "Oh, I really wish I could find a way to go on the mission trip to France. I'm willing to earn my own money." Since I knew it wasn't going to be a possibility for him to go on the mission trip, I said "You know if you go to France you won't be able to try out, and if you make it, play All-Star baseball this year." His response was "Mom isn't mission work so much more important than baseball?" He's right, it is so much more important. Who knew an eleven year old would think so. He really surprized me with his answer! With his perspective about the mission trip I suggested he begin a business to earn his way to France.

I think he's settled on something, but he may do a few things to cover all his demographic markets.

He loves to cook and bake, so his idea was a perfect fit for him. He plans to bake cookies and sell them as "munchies for a mission". He's going to start with Chocolate chip, Peanut butter and Brownies. He's looking at other options for business. He knows he needs to earn about $2000 in 9 months. He's already sold some video games, and his game boy. He plans to ask family members to give him cash for Christmas and birthday, rather than gifts. He's prayed about it once by himself and once with us, today.

Wesley is the one of our boys that keeps us on our toes. He has a temper and isn't afraid to use it, he's stubborn (may come in handy now), and he's a bit of a loose cannon. There are days we could flush him down the toilet, and then there are days our heart swells with pride. Can you guess which of those feelings we have today?

Of all our boys, he struggles the most with the battle of 'what the world has to offer' & 'being like Jesus.' We are grateful that he made the decision last year to be baptized into Christ. We know the spirit lives in him now and will do all it can to keep focused on God. Keep him in your prayers. He's making the choice to focus on Jesus rather than the world. This experience may be life changing for him, like it was for Chuck.